Susan Abulhawa’s “Khaybar” Tweet Is a Call for Violence

On June 22, 2025, author and university-affiliated lecturer Susan Abulhawa tweeted a chilling phrase:
“Khaibar, Khaibar ya Yahood.”

This Arabic chant is not just a slogan — it’s a direct reference to the 7th-century massacre of Jews in the oasis of Khaybar, where Prophet Muhammad’s army attacked and defeated Jewish tribes. In modern times, the phrase has been revived by extremist groups like Hamas as a violent rallying cry: a threat that what happened at Khaybar will happen again.

What Does “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahood” Mean?

The phrase translates to:
“Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews — the army of Muhammad will return.”
It glorifies historical violence and is widely recognized as a symbolic threat of Jewish extermination. According to multiple sources, including terrorism scholars, the chant was popularized by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, and has been heard at radical rallies and jihadist propaganda videos for decades.

Why This Matters

Susan Abulhawa is not an anonymous online troll. She is a bestselling author and an academic figure with institutional influence. Her words carry weight — especially among students and activists already operating in highly charged environments.

When someone in her position invokes a genocidal war cry, it normalizes hate speech, emboldens extremists, and undermines the safety of Jewish students and faculty.

Antisemitic Hate Has No Place in Academia

University campuses are meant to foster open inquiry and respectful discourse — not the spread of violent antisemitic propaganda. When educators use their platform to endorse slogans rooted in historical massacres, they betray their duty to uphold truth, tolerance, and human dignity.

This is not “resistance.”
This is incitement.

Final Word

Susan Abulhawa’s tweet is a disgraceful act of hate.
It echoes the darkest chapters of antisemitic history — and resurrects them as a threat for the present.

Academic institutions must draw the line: calls for violence cannot be tolerated, no matter how veiled in historical reference or political context.